From life as a train driver operating out of Heuston Station, to pitching new innovative solutions for sustainable transport to senior leadership, Eoin Kearns stepped out of the day-to-day role when he was selected to join Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail’s innovation programme Future Track, in partnership with Dogpatch Labs. Stepping out of the carriage (and the comfort zone), and stepping into an entrepreneurial environment, Eoin shared his experience, “The mentorship and advice from champions has been invaluable.” His fellow 21 colleagues innovating in Future Track echoed this sentiment, noting that being immersed in Dogpatch Labs “feels like you’re in the epicentre of something special. Like there’s magic happening around you.”

Heading up this inaugural innovation programme is Liam Kenny, with almost two decades of experience in Iarnród Éireann. Reflecting on Future Track’s success, Kenny tells us, “This partnership has been transformative for Iarnród Éireann. By investing in our people and placing teams in a fresh environment, we unlock potential, inspire creativity, and foster collaboration. Diverse teams bring unique perspectives, driving impactful change and strengthening rail as the backbone of sustainable transport in Ireland.”

12 intensive weeks. 22 Future Track innovators. 5 projects pitched to senior leadership. And exciting plans on the horizon. So, how did we get here?

It’s March 2024 and Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail is gearing up to launch its Sustainability in Motion strategy as part of its long-term efforts to become net zero by 2050.

On another side of the tracks, opposite Connolly Station’s thoroughfare in Dublin 1, sits Dogpatch Labs – Ireland’s largest startup and innovation hub. Founder and CEO of Dogpatch Labs Patrick Walsh has just welcomed OpenAI’s CSO Jason Kwon to the Digital Docklands as part of OpenAI’s launch into Ireland, OpenAI’s arrival sets Dublin abuzz and draws a rare level of excitement from the local tech scene.

Days later, Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail and Dogpatch’s tracks merge, announcing an innovation partnership to transform Ireland’s transport landscape. Enter ‘Future Track’ – the national rail’s inaugural innovation programme, immersing teams in an entrepreneurial environment in Dogpatch Labs using a startup approach to transform rail transport in Ireland.

As part of this announcement, Irish Rail’s chief exec Jim Meade commented to national media, outlining the organisation’s vision and how this new partnership with Dogpatch Labs can make it a reality. “We have big ambitions for rail to become the backbone of a sustainable transport system for Ireland, for both passengers and freight. To achieve these we want to further build our innovation capacity.”

So, we got right down to business. From deep dive strategy sessions to explore how Irish Rail Iarnród Éireann can redefine what’s possible in sustainable transport, to site visits including a trip to the National Train Control Centre, to senior leadership discussions on projects ranging from sustainability, to customer experience to freight. Innovation teams on both sides of the track jumped right in.

After a summer of recruiting and selecting entrepreneurs from all departments inside Iarnród Éireann to join Future Track, 22 successful intrapreneurs geared up for the 3-month programme kicking off in earnest in September. These IE colleagues would spend 12 intense weeks undertaking projects aligned with its Rail 2050 strategy in the areas of sustainability and customer experience.

Buy-in from senior leadership is critical to moving the needle in corporate innovation. Irish Rail’s chief demonstrated this by setting the bar high from day one. A CEO address in Future Track’s official kick-off week fuelled the teams to think outside the box, embracing the startup mindset approach when tackling the core themes of the Rail2050 strategy throughout the 3-month programme. “In order to deliver our Rail 2050 strategy, we need to innovate; we need to look at things differently. It’s all about our future and the generations to come behind us. Dogpatch Labs will allow our colleagues to bring new impactful innovations to life.”

Iarnród Éireann Irish Rail’s incubator, Future Track, is where high-impact innovators turn challenges into scalable solutions. How? Throughout the three core weeks onsite in Dogpatch, teams were fully immersed in entrepreneurship, with mentoring from industry experts Dr. Cera Slevin, Huw Thomas and Brett Meyers, a founder fireside chat with Marah Curtain, and workshops on greenhouse gas accounting. Teams uncovered customers’ problems with mentor Morgan McKeagney, speaking to customers face to face to understand pain points.

Plus, regular check-ins with internal champions from within Iarnród Éireann kept teams “on track” to success; Paul O’Kelly, Heidi Hopper Duffy, Kasia Steyn, Clement Egan, Ciaran Browne.

Ahead of pitching to the Head of Transformation Michael Power, ambitious innovators were developing pilots that could reshape the rail industry’s future, engaging directly with successful startup co-founder of PepTalk, Michelle Fogarty, and more.Spurring on the innovators in the inevitable ‘trough of disillusionment’ on the startup journey, Michael encouraged teams, “Our ambition is to accelerate rail as the backbone of sustainable transport in Ireland. And every one of you is helping us get to this destination”.

Fully embracing the startup mindset, and benefitting from the deep knowledge of successful entrepreneurs and mentors within the Dogpatch Labs network, IE teams accelerated their ideas into business propositions for Iarnród Éireann– everything from sustainability and customer experience. Teams learned from industry experts on financial modelling, pitching with conviction, and impactful deck design, plus experienced entrepreneurs like drone delivery startup founder Bobby Healy, who noted how collaborating with Dogpatch Labs works, “For innovation to happen in large organisations like Irish Rail, you have to move people outside the mothership.”

Roll on to early December 2024. Teams from Irish Rail are fine-tuning their final pitch scripts and sharpening project presentations they’ve been innovating on during Future Track. The 3-month programme wrapped with final pitches to Iarnród Éireann senior leadership, including its CEO and Head of Transformation, who are fully behind this new layer of the national rail operator’s innovation strategy.

Collaborating with Iarnród Éireann through this programme at Dogpatch focuses on driving impactful innovation across the organisation – from platform to boardroom. Dogpatch Labs is proud to be part of this journey, and we see exciting developments on the horizon.

Discover more about how Irish Rail Iarnród Éireann is redefining what’s possible in sustainable transport: https://dogpatchlabs.com/corporate-innovation/irish-rail/